The good thing about children getting older is they remember traditions, and appreciate the experiences we created for them in the past. The bad thing is when we don’t do them again, they remember what we did before.
I puttered out on offering any New Year’s Eve celebrations for the girls. There was no horns, balls dropping or ringing in the new year on France time. My older girl was disappointed by my lack of New Year’s excitement. It’s endearing really, that she remembered and was asking for that silly stuff at 9:30 when she felt funny going to bed minus the hoopla.
We made up for it with a New Year’s Day cake. I knew the black eyed peas and collard greens wouldn’t be as greatly appreciated by the girls as the parents. But, tradition is tradition and maybe one year they’ll actually feel strange if it’s not offered to them.
The black-eyed peas and collard greens were delicious – good enough to have for dinner on a regular Wednesday. However I’ll take any excuse to make a big chocolate cookie cake. My daughter made the banner for the cake, and felt much more celebratory about the whole day. Chocolate does have that affect on a girl.
In the South having collard greens and black-eyed peas is a must on New Years Day. Without them you’ll have bad luck and be broke. But being a foodie, I have to dice it up bit.
I have been in a food rut since fall. But now I’m feeling more motived to cook again. So I started off the new year with this dish.
A recipe from the Vegetarian Times inspired me, that featured separate black-eyed peas and kale. Earlier in the week I made the recipe from the same December issue, with chickpeas, pasta and tomatoes in vegetable broth. I sort of married the two ideas for this collards and black-eyed peas delight.
First I chopped up a full bunch of collards, finely, rolling the leaves and cutting with scissors. I diced half of an onion and but both in the stock pan. I poured in about 1 cup of vegetable broth with two tablespoons of butter. What makes collards yummy to most southerns is cooking them with ham and other animal parts I don’t even want to think about. I substitute with butter to get some animal fat in there. I let that cook for about 30 minutes before adding one can of diced (drained) tomatoes. And then I kept it simmering for about 30 minutes after that. As it cooks, add flavor. I used Tabasco sauce (a southern thing), garlic salt, turmeric, parsley, oregano and then when something was missing I put in a teaspoon of stoneground mustard because I didn’t have any dried mustard.
Cook the black-eyed peas separate by boiling them with salt. I soaked mine over night and then quick boiled them for 20 minutes in the afternoon, soaked them till dinner then boiled them until soft and poured the whole pot (with water) into the collard greens. I left the whole concoction simmering on the stove for another 30 minutes or so until we were all ready to eat. The longer you cook it all the softer the greens get. So really, it’s a preference thing. I still like some crunch to my greens.
While all that was cooking in the kitchen there was crafting in the basement, book snuggles with sisters, hair designs happening, ping-pong and girly giggles.
Every year we go around the table after dinner talking about our family resolutions – as so many of you probably do. We started doing this as group art time in the early years, before little ones could write a list of resolutions. This year everyone just blurted out things as I attempted to jot down notes.
The big picture is, everyone wants to travel more – the kind that requires stamps on our passports. I’m game! The youngest girl wants to go Asheville – this weekend. They are looking for adventure.
My husband was blessed this year with a new work adventure as he started his own company and left the safe zone of a regularly scheduled paycheck. It was a leap he’s been waiting to take since the night we met and he told me he wanted to “buy and sell companies.” I was thinking Pretty Woman and Richard Gere. I was 21 years old. He was 25. This summer we’ll celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary. Time.. is.. flying. Well I really be 38 in February? The number looks s-t-r-a-n-g-e.
Things are going great for him. His resolution was to keep it that way. I’m always leery of risk. I’m super proud of him for taking this leap and I knew it would great for our family. For the first time ever, I convinced him to take off the time between Christmas and New Year’s Day. So I think I’m going to like this new set up!
In 2014 I’m focusing on the smaller day-to-day things that will make our family better, happier and growing together. I’m not sure exactly how yet, but I’m going try and be more patient, peaceful, organized, attentive, present and a better listener to my girls. And of course, I vow to exercise more, eat less chocolate (ahem), walk the dog, go to yoga…all that jazz.
But taking time for more glitter, saying yes to more glue and worrying about the details later is a good place to start…I figure.